New constituencies will cost gov’t over $357,000 annually

Share This On:

Government has made it clear that it plans to adhere to the recommendations made by the Constituency Boundaries Commission Report, but noted that it will come with a cost of over EC$357,000 to add four new constituencies.

Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, earlier in his speech, told the House of Assembly yesterday (Feb. 10) that there will be financial implications based on the recommendations made from the report.

Dr. Anthony said, by increasing the number of constituencies to four, annual salary and personal allowances for all four parliamentarians will be EC$59,440.92.

Each parliamentarian will also be entitled to Constituency Office Allowance of EC$30,000. The cost for each new constituency’s representative and office will therefore be EC$89,440.92.

The total cost implications for increasing the number of constituencies by four are EC$357,763.68, or an increase of about 12 percent of current costs of parliamentarians and/or 0.07 percent in the current wage bill.

“There shall always be a cost to representation. There always has been. But there is also a cost to under-representation. Our constitution was established to promote fairness and balance in our affairs, and it is necessary that this is reflected in the composition of our constituencies,” he told the House.

The prime minister said Saint Lucian parliamentarians are not the best paid and are not afforded a number of the luxuries those in other larger, more developed countries are afforded.

“When we moved from 10 to 17 in 1973, we were a poorer country than we are now, but it was a necessary step. Today, we must step forward in the interest of good governance and ensuring the best fit in terms of representation of our population,” he added.

Dr. Anthony also revealed his own salary as prime minister, which is EC$ 12,728.25, inclusive of all allowances. He also receives one maid, one gardener, and payment of his utility bills.

At present, ministers of government, except those who reside outside the Castries Basin, receive a monthly salary – inclusive of all allowances – of EC$10,869.00.

This means that the monthly total to ministers in salaries is EC$152,187.21. The yearly total sum is EC$1,826,246.52.

Elected parliamentarians, who are not ministers, currently receive monthly remuneration of EC$4,953.41. This is inclusive of allowances. This means that the monthly total amount paid to backbenchers each month is EC$24,767.05.

Senators receive a monthly stipend of EC$1,108.33. This amounts to a monthly total of EC$6,649.98.

On the other hand, the leader of the Opposition’s salary is equated to that of a minister. The post attracts a salary, inclusive of allowances, of EC$10,815.83 monthly.

The speaker receives a monthly salary, inclusive of allowances, EC$8,218.58. The deputy speaker receives a total of EC$6,570.58 and the president of the Senate receives a salary of EC$1,926.00, with no allowances.

The total annual salaries and wage bill of the Government of Saint Lucia is currently EC$459.4 million.

22 comments

So the government just said to all civil servants "please accept a wage freeze for the next 3 yrs since the economy is not doing well" but look now u want 4 more constituencies which I am assuming would entail a entire office/ministry for the same money you don't have to pay civil servants. Okay but what portfolio will those 4 ministers hold? What will they really be in charge of? If there is no merit to the economy/country then why you want to spend so much money and it passed through cabinet already approved and all? As citizens I think we sit on the bomb until it is ready to blow and after it does we have nothing to sit on, we go have to take it on the floor at rock bottom just like our fore fathers like slaves to these guys or what. We should not wait for it to get to a point where revolution is bound to happen. We should make the move now before it gets to that point as the consequences will have a greater impact for everyone later down the road and let those in authourity know that we will not accpet the medicore politics being produced. We all see the rampant corruption and fraud and disregard for civilian livelyhood. These guys don't care about St Lucians and we must be awaken from this state of denial. "As I heard from a minister saying that he doesn't have to answer to the man on the street." They forget that when they came to sweet talk us for our votes before election. I am pleading to St Lucians to wake up and not allow the tyranny of the governments to destroy our country. I beg of you. Individually we may be able to take some of the backlash but as a whole we will suffer and these politicians and their policies will not favour the "average joe" given the direction we are heading with a a bunch of mindless #%$#%^$ steering the country's ship with no map, no compass and intoxicated from tax payers money. I beg of you young people of this country we must take the mantle and change our course and steer away from this grim reality. Every individual action has an effect, do not feel that your efforts for the greater good are in vain for where 2 or 3 gathered miracles can be performed. If not for your own sake but for the sake of your children and the upcoming generation to live a better life and that we may live to see our childern's children grow in better place free of these shackles we face today.

Figures of a kind NEVER revealed in the heyday of Sir John, clearly indicate that the fraction allocated to government officials, including all parliamentarians and all senators, speaker, president, the works, is less than 3 million, compared to a total wages and salaries bill of over 459 million, which is 3/459, about 0.654%

36 years after claiming independence, we need to grow up, as a people and embrace our responsibilities to our country's well-being, without compunction!

This does not have to increase any expenditure. Just pay those guys per voters. Parliamentarians who represent Choiseul and Dennery North should not get as much money as those for Gros Islet. Divide the total expenditure by # of voters. Simple. and get a rate per voters to pay those jokers.

“When we moved from 10 to 17 in 1973, we were a poorer country than we are now, but it was a necessary step. Today, we must step forward in the interest of good governance and ensuring the best fit in terms of representation of our population,” . I love that quote from the PM. That's the same person that threatened to retrench public servants and take 5% from our salaries but now justifies hiring more brainless fools. Kenny I waiting to vote. We are not the illiterate masses that were there before. The people who made up that boundaries commission are all hacks. Leo clarke, Shirley lewis, one of the fosters and that's 3 out of 5 that I can remember off my head.

More loans, more new salaries, more recurrent expenditure leading to an increase GDP to debt ratio. Without economic growth this is not practical. Yet it is politically desirable to maintain power. What about the rights of the people , what about a national referendum. But no, this is St. Lucia we just take things, a learned helplessness syndrome of the malewe mentality. Change is coming with the youth of this country.

I am so happy to read this article. Couple months ago you were in the fore front trying to get buy in and support for reducing our country's deficit.. your solution was: increase tax, removal of subsidies on a number of key items (poor jab the malaways), threatening public servants on reducing their meager salaries, stopped the school transportation that was establish to assist the poor... and the list goes.. now you want to increase our wage bill even further.(stop that BS about proper representation, we know the motive, pressure really do burst pipes after all) .. I hope in the near future (during your budget presentations) you dont have the audacity to ask us to accept a 5% decrease in salary... dont even think of it. ooohhh boyyy. Sweet helen of the west fini.

I really want to see how serious my fellow Lucians are. I want to see if they will just sit by idly and let this clown plunge the country into further debt. There should be protest marches, the subject of every talk show,a news topic with views from people all over the nation. This is just wrong at this time and just goes to show how inconsiderate those politrickcians are. How about you show us how you will bring 3 hundred thousand dollars into the country annually instead of thinking of ways to spend that amount. This clown and his circus really cannot be serious right now. they just pissed in your face and called it rain.. wth

When are we going to get any good news from Kenny, at lease some level of inspiration or hope. In history Kenny will be known as our worst nightmare ever, just don't have the stuff that leaders are made of- reasonably, my best choice for bailing out this Country out of its present economic mess and out of the hands of those power hungry SLP and UWP is LPM- a small movement with a realistic vision.

Dr K, the money u have to pay for that is easy to make, jack up the VAT to 25%, raise fuel prices again, start collecting property taxes, retrench, cut salaries, am just a farmer.....don't take me serious.

Haven't you cost us enough.......adding more to serve the people with what........unemployment........overpriced groceries....higher taxes.......higher crime/suicide rates/lack of social supports...where us that money coming from to pay them????? People people open your eyes?????, worst/many more horrible days to come.........

you are clearly missing the point, which has nothing to do with what our neighbours are doing. The point of concern here is the additional MONEY to finance this. the issue just boils down to dollars and sense. Currently the country has no dollars and so this makes no sense right now.

So a population of 73,000 in Dominica can sustain 21 constituencies over there; but a population of over 170,000 in St.Lucia can suppot jazz every year but cannot sustain 21 constituencies over here?
Honestly, I think you guys are the ones missing the point.

i want to know from whose pocket that money coming from i hope is not mine nor at the expense of us poor people i hope yall ask the Taiwanese and Chinese to sponsor yall cause is they that was giving large sums of cash to do things for the country bon!!!!!!

I don't even know why St.lucians are listening to this guy. Kenny Anthony is a POISON. Isn't that the same guy that got us into trouble with the economy in the first place?
Now that 2015 is here,the only thing that should be on St.Lucian's minds is 2016 so we can all kick that MAN OUT FOREVER.End of story.
It's not like these politicians doing any thing for the citizens of this country !! This idiot is all about spending, spending, spending.

Though wonder everybody fighting for post, when they get there, they head swell. To much doe in their pocket. In the next few years we will hear, (can't control lucia again, we will give half of the island to the Taiwanese